 |
АвтоАвтоматизацияАрхитектураАстрономияАудитБиологияБухгалтерияВоенное делоГенетикаГеографияГеологияГосударствоДомДругоеЖурналистика и СМИИзобретательствоИностранные языкиИнформатикаИскусствоИсторияКомпьютерыКулинарияКультураЛексикологияЛитератураЛогикаМаркетингМатематикаМашиностроениеМедицинаМенеджментМеталлы и СваркаМеханикаМузыкаНаселениеОбразованиеОхрана безопасности жизниОхрана ТрудаПедагогикаПолитикаПравоПриборостроениеПрограммированиеПроизводствоПромышленностьПсихологияРадиоРегилияСвязьСоциологияСпортСтандартизацияСтроительствоТехнологииТорговляТуризмФизикаФизиологияФилософияФинансыХимияХозяйствоЦеннообразованиеЧерчениеЭкологияЭконометрикаЭкономикаЭлектроникаЮриспунденкция
KIM BALDWIN. “Got time for breakfast?” Gable asked gently
|
Читайте также: |
“Got time for breakfast?” Gable asked gently. She hoped she could get Erin to talk about what was going on—explain why she was suddenly acting so distant.
Erin paused in the doorway as if considering her answer. After a long moment, she came up and gave her a hug and a halfhearted smile.
“That’s very sweet of you, but I better run. Have fun. I’ll call you later.”
She gave Gable a peck on the cheek and left the room. Gable followed as far as the doorway.
“C’mon, Earl. Time to hit the road,” Erin called to the cat, who was sprawled on his hammock by the window.
Earl Grey remained where he was, staring at Erin to make sure she knew he had heard her just F ne and preferred to stay where he was. Erin marched over to him and picked him up.
“Erin?” Gable leaned against the door frame and folded her arms.
Something told her she was playing with F re, but she couldn’t stop herself. “Did I say something to make you angry?”
Erin took a deep breath before she answered. “No, Gable. I’m not mad. Let’s just drop it, okay?”
“Does this have something to do with your marriage?” Gable took a stab in the dark. Erin had volunteered only that she’d made a bad mistake when she had married. She’d never told Gable any more than that, although they had shared the details of most all the other noteworthy parts of their lives.
Erin left with Earl Grey without answering.
Gable was puzzled by Erin’s sudden mood swing, and unsettled by it. But it’s not the F rst time it’s ever happened, she realized, going to the window. It’s just much worse today. At every mention of marriage or commitment whatsoever, Erin changed. Usually it was pretty subtle.
But it was like a chill came over her and she withdrew into herself.
Gable watched her drive off without a wave good-bye. What the hellhappened to you to make you this way, Erin?
v
She fretted about Erin’s abrupt departure all morning. She showered and dressed for the wedding in a simple navy pantsuit and white silk blouse, but still couldn’t calm her crowded mind. By the time she got to the church and slipped into a pew in the back, she was vaguely nauseous.
• 200 •
FORCE OF NATURE
She had hoped that attending the wedding together might encourage Erin to talk about her feelings. Might get her thinking favorably about planning their future together. Instead, the occasion had split them apart.
The dull pain in her stomach grew as she listened to Billy and Therese exchange their vows. She ached to one day say those words to Erin, and to have Erin promise to love, honor, and cherish her until death parted them. She wondered again what had happened to make her so against marriage.
As she passed through the receiving line outside the church, she put on her best smile and congratulated the happy couple.
“What a wonderful ceremony. Therese, you are positively glowing.
And you don’t clean up so bad, either, Billy,” she kidded the groom, a mechanic who’d managed to scrub away what she could have sworn were permanent grease stains on his knuckles.
“Thanks for coming, Gable.” Therese pecked her on the cheek.
“Erin couldn’t make it?” Billy took Gable’s hand in both of his.
Gable and Erin had made no public acknowledgement that they were seeing each other, but a couple of the guys at the poker table had caught on to the looks between them, and word had gotten around the squad. They’d been the subject of some good-natured ribbing after that, but everyone had been pretty cool about it—even the more conservative guys Gable had thought might create some problems.
“She sends her regrets,” Gable replied. She didn’t want to say more. She hated lying.
The reception was being held at the VFW Post a couple of miles from the church—Billy was a veteran of Desert Storm. Halfway there, Gable pulled off the road onto a side street and stopped the car. She took her cell phone out of the glove compartment and checked the display.
No messages.
She punched in Erin’s number at home. The phone rang F ve times and then her answering machine picked up.
“Hi. Are you there? It’s me. I just wanted to talk to you and see how you’re doing.” She paused, hoping Erin was listening to her and would pick up. It didn’t happen. Well, she did say she was going to runerrands. “I’m headed for the reception. I’ll try your cell. Please call me.”
She had talked Erin into buying a cell phone a couple of weeks after they’d started seeing each other. It hadn’t been too hard to do,
• 201 •
Поиск по сайту: